How to Be an Important Person

By Cliff Kuhn, M.D.
The Laugh Doctor
"It all starts with a SMILE"

Can you answer a very simple question about yourself: “Tell me
about you.”? You might be surprised at how difficult that is
for some people. Of course, maybe you won’t after I tell you
what I’m looking for when I ask that.

I don’t want to know about your likes, dislikes, personal
history, dreams, ambitions, etc. Those are all interesting
topics, to be sure, but I’m asking you to tell me who you are. I
want you to describe yourself from the inside-out, not from
the outside-in. Can you easily do that?

Whether it’s a snap for you to answer my question or a struggle,
I’ve created a Smile Strategy to help you get better at it: Know
Thyself. I want you to develop a habit of taking inventory of
yourself regularly. You are, after all, the person with whom
you spend the most time. Why now know yourself intimately?

Knowing yourself is, you’ll find, the greatest safeguard against
the encroachment of your most dangerous enemy: seriousness. Seriousness,
as you already know, has to do with taking yourself
too seriously and it the cause of all your stress and
unhappiness. Seriousness is insidious; it’s so easy to forget
to take yourself lightly when you’re dealing with all the urgent
matters which arise on any given day.

Trapped by the minutia of everyday activities and unexpected
events, it’s easy to lose sight of your big picture. Before you
know it, you’re taking yourself too seriously. Even though you
started your day with the best intentions of having fun in all
that you do.

An inventory of yourself helps you sort out your actions and
reactions, deciding if you’re handling them to your liking or if
you want to change what you’re doing. The best thing an
inventory does is help you separate the urgent tasks from the
important tasks. You do not want to get stuck on the broken
record of urgency because you will burn out faster than a
sparkler on a hot July evening.

An urgent task, of course, is one which requires your attention
right now. It doesn’t help you achieve any long-range goals,
but it needs to be taken care of immediately. An urgent task is
your bank calling about a bounced check or a customer telling
you she never received the merchandise she paid for two weeks
ago. You cannot ignore things like this or they’ll grow like a
wildfire.

An important task, however, is one which is easy to put off
until tomorrow. It is essential to your long-range goals, but it
does not grab you by the lapel and scream for your attention. An
important task is your reading a chapter of Charlotte’s Web
with your daughter or writing a letter to your old college
roommate. These are tasks which won’t bring your life to a halt
if you don’t address them today.

How much of your life is spent on urgent versus important tasks
today? Use what you've learned in "It All Starts with a Smile!"
and this newsletter to keep as much focus on your important
tasks as possible.

Your Attention Please!

Become a happiness machine today!

Announcing Dr. Kuhn’s newest book, “It All Starts with a SMILE!” This
is his greatest work yet! Packed with 52 Smile Strategies
(one for every week of the year) guaranteed to send
your health and success over the top. Go to http://www.natural-
humor-medicine.com/new-book.html to get a peek at the beautiful
book.

Read Our Featured Article

Lower your stress with Dr. Kuhn's Fun Commandments and his Fun
Factor prescription. Follow his simple doctor's orders found in
this article and then continue to explore his prescription through
his website.

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Some Humor to Help You Smile

Woody Allen

"I like flipping through my mom's photo albums. I enjoy seeing
what I looked like as a baby, and what my apartment furniture
looked like new."

Jeff Shaw

Please - do your friends a favor! Send them
this newsletter or tell them to sign up for it
themselves by going to "http://www.natural-
humor-medicine.com/Fun_times.html" Let's
spread the happiness virus together!

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.
The Laugh Doctor
7406 Wesboro Road
Louisville, KY 40242
"It all starts with a SMILE"